


Tavern Talk

by Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: DA - Freeform, F/F, Slice of Life, Suggestive, marian hawke (mentioned), merawke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 12:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4667348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas/pseuds/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isabela has seen that there’s something going on between Hawke and Merrill. Being the protective big sister that Isabela is to her, she lets Merrill know she feels about their situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tavern Talk

The Hanged Man was a place where people often tried their hardest to find some joy in their lives, be it through the usual method of scavenging to find it from bottom of a pint or doing their best to hit on someone after having a few of said pints. Isabela had seen every single type of person that there was during her travels around the world, yet there was something oddly comforting about Hanged Man to her.   
  
It was by no means a special tavern in and of itself. The prices were about what one might expect, perhaps a bit higher than that, given that it was located in a part of the city called Lowtown.   
  
The taste of the beer was also expected, a bit bitter or plain tasteless at times, but when enough was consumed, it was certainly good for getting anyone drunk. Her experienced eyes searched around in hopes of finding someone worth spending her precious time with, someone who wouldn’t simply drool or try to hump her. To her fortune, she spotted a figure that clearly looked like she didn’t belong to a place like this.   
  
“I didn’t think I’d find a stray kitten sneaking their way into a place like this,” Isabela said, flashing a genuine smile towards her Dalish friend, her “kitten”.   
  
“Oh well, I wanted to spend some time with people, even if by just looking and listening at them from afar! But some company is always preferred,” Merrill hastily explained as she made sure the bench Isabela was tapping for her to sit down was clean enough. She had seen during her relatively short stay in Kirkwall that not nearly everyone was as clean in the Hanged Man as Isabela. It had only taken her one time to learn that if someone approached her and plainly couldn’t stay standing, she was advised to keep her distance from them.   
  
“My my, kitten is learning, opening up is important after all.” Isabela winked, putting her hand to rest on Merrill’s shoulder before pulling her closer to her, narrowing the gap in between them to mere inches.   
  
“Heh…I suppose I am…you and Hawke have really given me some confidence that my clan sometimes–er, perhaps more than that–didn’t really show me, so that’s…um, nice,” Merrill said quietly before she silenced her rambling with a good dose of alcohol.   
  
“Oh? I’m glad to hear that, dear,” Isabela smirked.   
“Speaking of opening up–”   
  
Merrill’s eyes widened a bit as she saw a grin growing on Isabela’s face. It was the same kind of look she had seen her show sometimes when a fight was especially tough, so naturally it did scare her a bit, despite knowing the high status in which Isabela seemed to hold her.   
  
“–I’ve seen the way you look at Hawke, my dear. You can try to deny it all you want, but you know I know when these eyes see a longing… And you, my sweet kitten… you’re wanting to eat her out like a moist biscuit.”   
   
Merrill had expected that Isabela would sooner or later realize what was going on. But for the pirate to say it so bluntly was something she hadn’t prepared herself for.   
  
Isabela couldn’t hide her amusement, her grin turning from triumphant into sympathetic as she watched Merrill coughing, doing her best to act cool, and failing at it horribly as always.   
  
The sudden coughing did catch attention of people around them; Isabela calmed the situation down with a simple wave of her hand before she turned to look at her now blushing friend.   
  
“Now now, kitten, it’s nothing to be ashamed about. Maker knows I’ve had my eyes on many prizes over the years, it’s the most natural thing in there is,” Isabela reassured the coughing Dalish with a hearty chuckle while waiting for her to recover.   
  
“Um…I guess there’s really no point in trying to hide it then. I really do like her, Isabela…she’s so…wild and funny and just…” Merrill tapped her chin a few times, as if hoping that it would bring up a proper finish to her sentence.  
  
“Perfect? Oh, I know, sweetheart, that’s the best feeling in the world…well, maybe not the best, but definitely up there.” Isabela shuffled a bit on her seat before taking a gulp from her pint to wet her lips as well.   
  
“…I-I suppose that’s a rather fitting way to describe her. It just…I feel so warm and accepted around her…my own people see me as a monster and an outcast but she’s willing to accept me even with all my flaws and mistakes…I’m just…not used to that, at all,” Merrill murmured, gripping tightly onto her pint before tilting her head to meet up with Isabela’s accepting gaze. The half-open eyes were telling the obvious truth–not that Isabela doubted her senses in the first place, though it was nice to be absolutely certain.   
  
Isabela looked around and after making sure no one who knew them particularly well was there, she leaned in closer to Merrill.   
  
“Oh, you poor thing…I could tell you something, but only if you promise this is only between you and me? Don’t go mentioning this to Hawke, no matter what, deal?” Isabela reached out for Merrill’s hand. She shakily raised her own hand, squeezing Isabela’s softly for a short moment before letting go.   
  
“I’ve talked with Hawke about you, and luckily you’re not alone with your feelings, Merrill. She’s also a bit nervous about telling you how she truly feels and asked me for some piece of advice when it comes to charming a Dalish–”  
  
“Oh…do you have previous experience with my peop–”   
  
Merrill was about to hop from her seat, so Isabela quickly pulled her back down and shushed the curious elf by putting up an index finger against the elf’s lips.   
  
“That, my dear, is another story for another time. What I was saying is that you’re not alone with your feelings. It’s quite an adorable sight, you two gazing at each other when the other one isn’t looking…shame neither of you can just admit it that you want to rut like wild horses in heat.”   
  
“Actually, if you want a potential animal for an allegory, Isabela, you should go with–”   
  
“That’s besides the point, kitten.” Isabela sighed happily before continuing. “What I’m trying to do here is to encourage you to be more open and honest about your feelings. Come on, you’ve seen even before this that life can end…quickly and unexpectedly, no matter how wealthy you are or what your status is.” Isabela rubbed her forehead; she wasn’t used to be being this sentimental, yet Merrill was worth all the trouble in the world.   
  
To Isabela, Merrill was, despite all the rumors she had heard, a picture of innocent–one flower she refused to see tarnished no matter what.   
  
“It would be a shame if…something happened before you two could…act how you feel. I know when there’s more to people than the need to slap their piss organs against one another. And there’s definitely more going on between you two than a basic need to come and go. So don’t do this for my sake, Merrill, but for your own…go and tell her how you feel, be happy… You deserve it.”  
  
Merrill quietly stared in awe at Isabela. She was used to Isabela being a bit protective of her, much like a big sister would, but she hadn’t expected in her wildest of dreams of her to act like this. Behind her fancy act was a woman who did care, one just had to earn that trust first and Merrill seemed to have passed that test with flying colors.   
  
“Y-you’re…you’re right, Isabela. I should be more brave and more honest about my feelings before someone else gets to her…oh I can’t let that happen, that would be awful,”  Merrill rambled.   
  
Isabela didn’t say anything, simply shook her head, adoring how nervous and cute Merrill could be, despite the terrible power she had around her fingertips.   
  
“Thank you Isabela…I think that I’ll…I’ll go and see if Hawke is at her estate…I um…I need to talk to her…” Merrill mumbled as she quickly stood up, though she didn’t leave the table before finding rest of the courage she needed from the bottom of her pint.   
  
“Look at you, Merrill, so grown up from when I first saw you. I’d like to ask for one thing however, one little favor for this information…” Isabela smiled seductively, licking her lips clean from the beer slicking them.   
  
“And…that would be…?” Merrill asked, raising one of her eyebrows slightly. The way she was holding onto her stuff, simultaneously nervous and excited, made Isabela chuckle a bit under her breath.   
  
“You’re truly too cute for this world, kitten…but you’re buying next time. And when you do, you’re going to tell me every single detail of what happened tonight…” Isabela winked at Merrill before watching her clumsily doing her best to dodge everyone on her way out of the Hanged Man.   
  
_“They grow up so quickly…oh, to be like her again…”_

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me at tumblr http://lordofspiritsandbazongas.tumblr.com/ If you have ideas, suggestions, feedback, comment, anything like that, feel free to contact me.


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